Wilson leads Seahawks past Broncos 43-8 in Super Bowl

Sunday

Feb 2, 2014 at 10:01 PMFeb 3, 2014 at 12:19 AM

None of the three players the Browns drafted before Russell Wilson in the 2012 draft adds up to Russell Wilson, who proves how quickly a 2011 loss at Cleveland can turn into a world championship for Seattle.

Steve Doerschuk CantonRep.com sports writer @sdoerschukREP

Would you trade Russell Wilson for Trent Richardson, Brandon Weeden and Mitchell Schwartz?

Probably, you would.

The Cleveland Browns, who already swapped Richardson and will try to deal Weeden, would be crazy not to.

The Seattle Seahawks wouldn't trade Wilson in a million years. Not after going to the playoffs with him as their rookie quarterback ... and definitely not after winning Super Bowl XLVIII with him Sunday night.

Seattle's 43-8 stunner was a sweeping team success, in which Wilson's outplaying of 37-year-old Peyton Manning weighed a ton.

The ex-Wisconsin Badger completed 18 of his 25 passes, posted a gaudy 123.1 passer rating, and acted like a 15-year veteran.

"Man, is he a general," said Seattle wideout Percy Harvin. "I've never seen anybody prepare like him.

"He has no fear, and he leads. Even with a couple minutes left, he was still in our faces."

John Elway, Denver's disappointed front-office czar, is known for "The Drive." Wilson, who is far younger than Elway was when he won his two Super Bowls, celebrated "The Drives."

"My dad would drive around with me and we would talk," Wilson said. "He always gave me these visions. He would tell me, 'Russ ... why not you?'

"I remember talking to the guys in a players-only meeting. I said what my dad said on our drives. I said, 'Guys, why not us?' "

Wilson's work helped Seattle win its first Super Bowl since joining the NFL as an expansion team in 1976. The Seahawks' only other Super Bowl was following the 2005 season, with Mike Holmgren as head coach in a loss to Pittsburgh.

Watching Wilson was a stinging irony for Browns fans. On Holmgren's watch as team president in the 2012 draft, the Browns invested a No. 3 overall pick on the running back Richardson, a No. 22 on quarterback Brandon Weeden, and a No. 37 on tackle Mitchell Schwartz.

Seattle plucked Wilson at No. 75, paying about the same price the Browns did a bit later in the draft for John Hughes, a backup on defense now.

It's not as if Cleveland is the only team that now needs a quarterback and is sorry for passing on Wilson. Among those drafted immediately before Wilson were Central Florida cornerback Josh Robinson (Vikings) and Ohio State wideout Devier Posey (Texans). The pick arguably cost Vikings head coach Leslie Frazier his job. Frazier loved Wilson but already had 2011 Round 1 pick Christian Ponder.

After one quarter Sunday, a crazy question began to form. Who would you rather have now? Young world champion Wilson? Or aging runner-up Peyton Manning?

Wilson's Seahawks led Manning's Broncos 148 yards to 22 after one quarter. The score was just 8-0, but Wilson's command was a big part of the vibe, and so were Manning's mistakes.

The Seahawks kept pouring it on, raising all kinds of questions about how a team goes from losing at Cleveland in 2011 to being in a different universe than the Browns.

Another question: Should the Browns have waited on Dan Quinn?

One of the stars of the Seattle surprise was the defense coordinated by Quinn.

If the Browns would not have had to wait until after the Super Bowl, they might have hired Quinn as head coach instead of Mike Pettine.

Denver offensive coordinator Adam Gase had been an early favorite for the Cleveland job. Quinn's unit beat Gase's to a pulp.

Afterward, Quinn said he had "zero regrets" about not pursuing the Browns job harder and going all in with Super Bowl preparations.

Summing up his ferocious unit, he said, "We're fast, we're physical and we play the game on our terms."

No quarterback who has led the league in passing yards has ever won a Super Bowl. Manning seemed determined not to become the first.

Trailing 8-0 in an already bad start — a stunning early safety soon faded into the background — Manning closed the first quarter with an interception.

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